During the last several years, pressure sensitive, adhesive, vapor-permeable membranes have found increasingly greater use in the medical field as an improved surgical dressing which speeds the natural wound healing process and also protects the wound site. Although the efficacy of these vapor-permeable, adhesive membranes is widely recognized and they have now met with wide acceptance, their major drawback, not overcome before the present invention, was the difficulty encountered in applying the pressure sensitive, adhesive membranes to the patient.
Typically, these pressure sensitive, adhesive membranes are applied to the patient as a flat sheet, ranging in size from a few square inches to one or two square feet. Since these vapor-permeable, pressure sensitive, adhesive membranes are extremely thin and pliable, in order to conform to any part of the patient's body, they typically incorporate supporting backing sheets which protect the adhesive layer and are easily removed therefrom.
However, once the backing sheets are removed, as is done prior to applying the adhesive sheet to the patient, great difficulty is encountered since the sheets are extremely limp when unsupported and tend to stick to themselves. This causes major problems in separating the sheets from themselves into the flat configuration. As a result, these prior art adhesive sheets are typically not applied by a single individual, and two individuals are usually needed to assure that the adhesive sheets are stretched fully and completely, and maintained flat, so that they can be applied to the patient without problems.
Another problem encountered with prior art membranes is the tendency of the membranes to be easily overstretched during application. If this occurs, the patient experiences great discomfort, since the membranes' elastic property attempts to draw the membranes back to their original length, simultaneously pulling the patient's skin.
Although these application and handling problems have existed, no prior art system has been developed which achieves an easily handled, readily dispensible vapor-permeable, pressure sensitive, adhesive membrane capable of being used by a single individual. The only systems that have been developed require the application of additional material to the membrane itself or to the non-adhesive surface of the membrane. However, these systems suffer from a tendency to degrade the quality of the membrane, as well as introducing extra material which may interfere with the healing process or with the visibility of the wound during its healing.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a membrane dispensing assembly for vapor-permeable, pressure sensitive, adhesive membranes which is quickly and easily used by a single individual, without having the membrane stick to itself.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a membrane dispensing assembly for vapor-permeable, pressure-sensitive adhesive membranes having the characteristic features described above, which achieves rapid, easy, trouble-free application to the wound site regardless of the size, shape or length of the membrane being applied to the wound.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a membrane dispensing assembly for vapor-permeable, pressure sensitive, adhesive membranes having the characteristic features defined above wherein each assembly is sized for a single, particular, surgical application, thereby being completely dispensed during that single application.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a membrane dispensing assembly for vapor-permeable, pressure sensitive, adhesive membranes having the characteristic features defined above which also assures complete sterility of the membrane for surgical use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a membrane dispensing assembly for vapor-permeable pressure sensitive, adhesive membranes having the characteristic features defined above which prevents unwanted membrane stretching while providing continuous controlled dispensing of a taut membrane.
Other and more specific objects will in part be obvious and will in part hereinafter.